Here are a few benefits of creating your own natural cleaning products at home:
- Eliminate harmful chemicals commonly found in store-bought cleaning products.
- Reduce packaging waste which contributes to a more sustainable lifestyle.
- Creating your own cleaning products can save you money by using inexpensive and readily available ingredients.
Here are some common household ingredients that you may already have on hand:
- Vinegar- strong acid, should be diluted for routine household cleaning. See more information about this ingredient below.
- Baking soda-a good nonabrasive cleanser and great for neutralizing odors
- Castile soap-gentle and effective cleaning
- Lemon-either the fruit itself or essential oil-great for cutting grease
- Essential oils-great for antibacterial and cutting crease
- Borax-widely used as a household cleaner and a booster for laundry detergent
- Washing Soda-using in laundry and household cleaning
- Hydrogen peroxide-you can find some great information HERE
I love these simple to find ingredients as they can be combined to make many different types of household cleaning products. They are relatively inexpensive and safe to use around the house. Beware of mixing some of these ingredients together, vinegar is a great cleaning ingredient but becomes dangerous or useless depending how it is used.
Please note that some of these ingredients SHOULD NEVER be mixed together! If in doubt, always take a few minutes to do some research on your ingredients to be sure how to use them properly, and don’t make just any combo that you see on social media, formulation matters!
Downside of Creating Natural Cleaning Products at Home
Let’s look at some of the common ingredients found in many social media posts that are not effective, and if you do not understand how certain ingredients work “together” you can cause harm to your health or your home.
Let’s look at a common ingredient used in DIY cleaning products, vinegar. Did you know that vinegar needs at least five minutes for killing bacteria and 30 minutes for viruses? Vinegar is also quite harsh to be used on many household surfaces, such as marble, granite or natural stone countertops. The acid in vinegar can etch (mark permanently) these surfaces. Wood floors or furniture can be damaged by vinegar, even when diluted. (I do have a DIY dusting spray that has some vinegar in it, and I use it on my wood furniture every week with no issues.) Electronic screens, cast iron pots are also a no go for cleaning with vinegar. It is a wonderful cleaner for windows, bathtubs and showers as well as the kitchen sink (depending on the material that it is made of). It should always be diluted with a ratio of 50-50.
VINEGAR-DO NOT MIX THE FOLLOWING!
Vinegar + hydrogen peroxide=Combining the two will form peracetic acid, which could irritate your skin, eyes and respiratory system. In serious cases, peracetic acid can even cause permanent lung damage.
Vinegar +bleach= releases a poisonous chlorine gas, which can be fatal if inhaled at high enough concentrations
Vinegar +ammonia= vinegar is acidic and ammonia is basic. When mixed together, they cancel each other out and removes their cleaning properties.
Vinegar +castile soap= the acid in vinegar breaks down the castile soap.
Vinegar +baking soda= baking soda is basic and vinegar is acidic, combining them results in mostly water, so not very effective combined together. (How many DIY cleaning recipes have you seen with this combination?)
Another favorite is Castile soap. True Castile soap is a very simple soap made only with olive oil and soap lye. Today, due to the high cost of olive oil, many companies are naming their soap as castile, but it is not castile if it contains any other oil (such as coconut etc). That being said, even with other oils added, such as hemp oil or coconut oil, the soap is still a great natural ingredient to have on hand in the home.
It is not an inexpensive soap to have on hand, so feel free to look at the natural isle of your favorite store and read the ingredients before choosing any dish soap on the shelf. Unfortunately the word “natural” is misused as a marketing ploy and sadly they are allowed to do it legally.
True Castile soap does not mix well with baking soda, it will become clumpy.
Hydrogen Peroxide is another way to effectively clean your home. It can disinfect surfaces by spraying on a surface, allow it to sit for five minutes, then rinse with water. Not an inexpensive ingredient to use, however, if you only need a small area to sanitize, it’s an option. Another way you can use it is to soak your sponges in a solution of 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% water for 10 to 20 minutes to kill bacteria.
Remember…Do not mix with vinegar! See why above!
I love to use borax, washing soda and essential oils in all my natural cleaning DIY recipes. I also love an ingredient that is not so common called d-limonene. I buy mine at Voyageur Soap and Candle . It’s smells very lemony and cuts through grease and soap scum easily.
My go to for all my household cleaning!
My favorite household cleaning product is Thieves Household Cleaner item #374303 comes in 426 ml ($30.50 Canadian $) or 1.8 L ($118.75 Canadian $). You can easily set up a free account on the link above, and get it shipped right to your door. (Choose wholesale pricing).
Here’s why I love it:
- It’s super concentrated
- Non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based solution
- Suited for virtually every surface in your home
- Safe for septic systems
- Rinses clean and leaves no residue
- Smells like Christmas
- Safe to use around children and pets
- Cost effective! One bottle goes a long way! Check out the dilution ratios!
- Takes about 1 minute to make!
DIRECTIONS:
Dilution ratios for Thieves Household Cleaner
- Most cleaning applications: 1 capful of Thieves Household Cleaner and 2 cups of water-makes about twenty-eight 16 ounce spray bottles.
- Heavy degreasing: 1-2 capfuls of Thieves Household Cleaner and 1 cup of water
- Light degreasing: 1 capful of Thieves Household Cleaner and 4 cups of water
- Glass: 1 capful of Thieves Household Cleaner, 3 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, and 10-15 drops of citrus essential oil. When first cleaning plastics, fabrics, or finished surfaces such as wood, perform a spot test on an inconspicuous area. Should staining occur, discontinue use immediately. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes. Keep in a cool, dark place.
- Grab a printable of this information BELOW
Do you have a general household cleaner that you like? Be sure and share with us below! Be sure and follow me on Instagram and Facebook!
